Valvoline Restore and protect question
- Thread starter moparguy
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It depends on how you measure cleanliness. Visually, the 3rd fill was the most noticeable in observing cleanliness changes.
But that’s because it takes awhile to get through thick deposits, so even if it it cleaning well, it doesn’t look clean until bare metal.
So while the cleaning action is most profound at first, we don’t perceive it visually or in consumption reduction until it’s acted long enough to pass some threshold of effect.
But that’s because it takes awhile to get through thick deposits, so even if it it cleaning well, it doesn’t look clean until bare metal.
So while the cleaning action is most profound at first, we don’t perceive it visually or in consumption reduction until it’s acted long enough to pass some threshold of effect.
I recall reading a thread by Rhondahonda (sp?) about that... they said that consumption didn't drop much until the 4th OCI with it. I was going to stop after 2 OCIs, but I think I'll keep my highlander on 4 and see what impact it has.
The first OCI with VRP 5w30 had the same consumption as other OCIs with 40 grade, so I guess that's something, but nothing to write home about. Still early on the 2nd OCI...
The first OCI with VRP 5w30 had the same consumption as other OCIs with 40 grade, so I guess that's something, but nothing to write home about. Still early on the 2nd OCI...
I didn’t even see an improvement until the 3rd oci(for oil consumption) 4 oci’s minimum are needed IMO.
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Seems to be the marketing fail of VRP. Nobody seems to want to use VRP after the four oil changes.
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Seems to be the marketing fail of VRP. Nobody seems to want to use VRP after the four oil changes.
I'll be using it in my Audi Q7 with the supercharged 3.0 and my 5.3 Chevrolet 1500 past the 4 oil changes. Common sense with the great used oil sampling and low wear metals would say, why go back to oils that make the piston deposits and ugly engine internals again. I see no reason to go back to regular/other oils that make the piston deposits and carbon up the oil control rings ever again.
What oil were you using that caused the problem in the first place?
I think once the cleaning is done, some (probably only small % of mostly BITOG folks) go back to something more robust like a Euro oil etc. If you have a domestic or even Japanese car that doesn't call for anything about a SP/GF-7 oil I'd likely stay with VRP. I'm curious if this tech makes it into other grades eventually.Seems to be the marketing fail of VRP. Nobody seems to want to use VRP after the four oil changes.
I wonder if it already is in there…….
I'm near the end of the 2nd short OCI (2500 miles) and will do 3 more starting with one towards the end of the month for the usual 5K. I doubt my low mileage car has much to clean (doesn't burn a drop) but I figured it certainly doesn't hurt. My thought process is to move to HPL after the 4th VRP OCI but I also ask myself why not just keep using this since it is a fully certified API SP oil (my car requires no specific recommendation other than "0W-20 for optimal fuel economy" which I don't care about as I'm running a 5W-30 and will stick with that.
I imagine that other mainstream brands will have their own VRP in the coming months; they're certainly missing out if they don't as VRP testimonials are all over the internet.
I imagine that other mainstream brands will have their own VRP in the coming months; they're certainly missing out if they don't as VRP testimonials are all over the internet.
On my GS350, it went from about 1K miles / quart to no burning in less than two oil changes of 5K each. I posted about it in this thread in case you're interested in its progression.
That's right, it was you, not the other member. Oh well its too late for me to edit my post. 
Well if you buy enough HPL that will do it too. I’m still on fence about trying R&P in my 02’ Dakota.Having very basic approvals, after certain point it will start cleaning your wallet.
I have two jugs in the 5w30 grade
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I bought the Q7 second hand from the Audi dealership that had been using the dealers Castrol Euro 5-40 in it at their recommend oil changes of 10,000 miles, done on time, every time. Carfax showed this interval also. So this oil caused the low tension oil control rings to stick to stick in the piston groves in the first place. I purchased the vehicle after it had just had the oil changed and was full of oil. 400 miles latter, it was down a quart, so I did a Berrymans B12 piston soak, BG EPR flush right after the soak and put in Restore & Protect to polish it off. Not using any oil now in 5000 mile changes of the oil.
Low tension rings and piston deposits make for carbon stuck oil control rings. Who would have thought... Keep going long enough and the carbon chunks from the chambers and on the pistons, due to all the oil getting past the rings and burning, will eventually hang the exhaust vale open and burn the valve. So I hit the problem like a shotgun and hit it with everything I could at once to save the engine and prevent the burned valve problem from happening like has happened to others with the same 3.0 Audi supercharged engine. It worked, and no more oil consumption. Some guys have just done the Valvoline R&P, but that takes a while, so I hit it hard and fast with the piston soak first knowing it would work quick.
Many (I should say the majority of the the problems come from) using the factory recommended Castrol Euro oil have had oil control ring sticking issues, some using different oil have had a bit better luck, and some worse luck with the 3.0t engine. The guys that were tuned and run them harder seemed to be able to much longer before they started using oil, but eventually all the 3.0t CREC engines will get stuck oil control rings and start gobbling oil it would seem.
I ran 5) 3,000 oil changes during the winter to make sure my ring land were fully clean. My massive fuel dilution problem was cleaned up by using Redline Performance 5W-30 Euro and use of HPL EC 30 & 40 after that. I just used VR&P since it was designed to clean ring lands and I am too cheap to use $80 HPL and dump at 3,000. My hypothesis on my car was my top 2 rings where jammed and I had massive fuel dilution as high as 1.5qt in 3,000 miles. Redline fixed it and I have no idea when and what oil fully cleaned my Hyundai's rings. They are one of the leading cars if not the worst manufacture along with Kia to have carbon jammed rings. I did feel my car "ran better" after a 3) 3,000 dumps. I know it idles better for sure. Could be placebo though who knows. All I know is VR&P will be in my car this winter. As my summer oil is 5W-40 when my turbo car gets thrashed the most at higher temps. In fact I just got done putting in my first summer run of Motul 5W-40 8100-Clean Gen2 and a Qt of HPL EC 40, with my first run of a Carquest Premium filter ( since Fram wrecked their brand to unuseable statous ) .
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It's not a placebo. It's the first thing I noticed when I went to the VR&P in the Audi Q7. Noticed the same thing in my Chevy 5.3 how it smoothed out the idle. I got in the wife's Q7 and started it the other day, sat there a while in the lot and couldn't tell it was even running other than the tach reading. I literally had to rev the engine in park in the lot to see if the tach was stuck or if it was really running. It runs so smooth and quiet its unreal with the VR&P.
I was thinking about putting in my 2013 Audi A6 as it is not idling smoothly at all with 0-40 Mobil1 in it. It has zero oil consumption on the older version of the 3.0t, but its not running low tension oil control rings either. I have always run Mobil1 0-40 in them forever, but since the new formula changes they have made I'm not liking what I'm seeing on the UOA's and the wear metals. It seems every UOA I'm seeing is showing way-way high were metals on the new formula of of the M1 0-40. I know when I put it in my Merceds 550 it wasn't smooth and the engine did'nt seem at all happy on it. Much louder and just not happy like the old version of the M1 0-40 was. I could tell the Mercedes wasn't as happy on the new formula vs the old formula. It was so evident with that vehicle I had to go searching as to the why. I did not know the formula had changed till I came to this site and found out, then it made sense. I've since sold the Mercedes, but was thinking about switching the A6 over to the R&P to see if it also smooths out its idle, certainly won't hurt to clean up the inside of that engine too even if its not using oil. Sure works on our newer 3.0t Audi Q7 well.
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Do you folks even check first if your motor is sludged up or not before using R&P? Correct me if I am wrong, but burning oil is not the only sign of a dirty engine.
I bought my car new and my engine was spotless through it's life, as I was running all the high end oils and boutique oils at 3,000 mile dump intervals. Amsoil SS, Mobil1 Extended, Mobil1 ESP the last 1.5 to 2 years of it's life before the Redline Performance's ester cleaning that release what I think are my top two rings that were jammed. I just own a Hyundai, and that means your car is automatically in rough service mode as it's default. It is also a tuner car and gets thrashed daily. Also my tuner is a known tuner in the industry and he does not tune rich, he actually tunes on the lean side.
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